Crate



D. T. CONSIDINE CRATE 'Filed May 15; 1922 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mug/ll ruimLWL/IM lill Patented Apr. Z4, i923.

VPE@

DANIEL T. CONSIDINE, OF l/VATERTO'WN, MASSACHUSETTS.

CRATE.

Application led May l5, 1922. Serial No. 560,865.

ers, such as are made with openwork sides.

and top composed of rods or staves spaced apart at suitable intervals.

Crates thus made with openwork walls and tops are well-known andextensively used for the above-named purposes, since the constructionmakes it possible to economize inthe amount of material required formaking the articles, and to save in the cost of transportation,whileaffording plentiful ventilation to the contents. The materialmostvcommonly used in these openwork or latticed sides is wood cut intorods or thin, narrow strips. These are more or less liable to breakage.The methods of construction commonly adopted in practice for securingthe rods or staves in place make repairs comparatively expensive, andrender impracticable a hasty repair whenin transit except in rude orrough shape. `If such be attempted, the broken parts and the nail-ends,wire, or other makeshift fastenings, endanger the contents and the handsof the handlers. Further, the loss tothe owner of the crates isconsiderable, through relatively small breakages of the openworkrendering the crates useless.

The main object of my invention is to provide a crate of a constructionenabling the members comprising the openwork of the sides and top to beinstantly removed or replaced, whenever desired or necessary, withoutthe use of tools or fastening devices of any sort. y

Another object of my invention is to produce a strong, light crate whichcan be manufactured as cheaply as crates of the common types can be,shipped in fiat or knockeddown form, and can be easily andouickly fassembled by the buyer, and thus put into the latters hands at ay lowerfigure than those that must be shipped in erected shape. l

My invention consists, essentially, inv a crate or crate-like containercomprising a framework, and a pluralitvof rods or staves each'removablysupported by two ormore members of said framework, by rodorstave-retaining means consisting of a socket in connection with onemember of such framework for positioninga rod or stave, a'

hole through another member of said framework offset with respect to thesaid socket, and a second socket, ina second member of the framework,intersected by the said hole,

and in line with said first-named socket,1and into which thecorresponding end of the rod or stave springs when pushed longitudinallyinto position.

The invention also provides for withdrawal of the necessary number ofrods or staves forthe productionfof an opening or doorway tojpermit ofthe introduction of poultry,r animals, or. `merchandise into a crate,and removal therefrom. c

Two :illustrative embodiments of'my invention are shown drawings, in'whichzf n y Fig.y l is a perspective of a crate made 1aecording to myinvention. c f f Fig. 2 is a detail sliowingthe rodor stave-retainingmeans constituting the sub.- stance of my invention.

Fig. 3 is a detail showing an alternative in the accompanyfingk form ofconstructionv of the crate, using a metal framework.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a modified construction of rodor stave-retainingmeans which is employed in the crate shown in Fig. 3.

Having reference to the drawings,-y f

TheV shape or size of the crate or container is immaterial. In the caseof the crate shown in Figs. l and 2, which is the preferred form, themembers comprising the framework and the boards ofthe bottom or iioorare of common material, of stock sizes and such as may easily beobtained. In the said crate, designed primarily as a poultry crate, thefloor l is solid to protect the feet of the poultry from injury, and issecured to the lower frame-members in suitable manner, as by nails.Preferably but not necessarily the corners are reinforced by metalangle-plates 2, 2. In carrying out my inventio'n, the openwork of thesides and top may be satisfactorily made of wooden rods, either round(as shown) or square in cross-section, except in cases where more thanaverage sturdiness of the crate is required, where staves or slatsoblong in cross-section may be substituted for rods, the method ofapplication being the same as that which will be described in connectionwith the use of rods.

The crate shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises four lower members 3, 3, allformed with vertical sockets 4, 4, into which the ends of the rods fitsufficiently tightly and deeply to hold them stiflly at right angles tothe members 3, 3. These vertical sockets may be formed in any way solong as they will allow the rods to enter but not pass through; they maybe cut only partway through the frame-members 3, 3, or they may beextended wholly therethrough and be closed by the boards Vcomposing thefloor l. Corresponding sockets 6, 6, are cut in the under side of theoutside upper framemembers 5, 5, 5l, 5l, each extending` only partwaythrough the frame-member, and axially in line with the correspondingsocket in the lower frame-members 3. Adjacent the upper sockets 6, 6, soclosely as to overlap the said sockets when viewed from above, are holes7, 7, passing entirely through the frame-members 5, 5, 51, 51. As aconsequence of the said overlapping these holes intersect or open intothe sockets 6, 6, in a manner easily understood by reference to therepresentation in Fig. 2 of certain of the horizontal sockets 65 andholes in an upper frame-member 5. These holes 7, 7, are of dimensionsjust sufficient to allow the rods to pass freely lengthwise throughthem. They are located slightly out of line with the correspondingsockets in the opposite cooperating members 3, the offsetting beingpreferably in a direction lengthwise of the upper frame-members 5, 5,5l, 51.

The rods'12, l2, preferably though not necessarily of wood, are each ofa length just suflicicnt to be. received within the two co-acting'sockets 4 and 6 of a coordinated pair of frame-members; that is, theyare substantially equal in length to the distance between the upper andlower frame-members of such pair, plus the combined depth of the twosockets 4 and 6, top and bottom. They are applied by entering themlongitudinally from above through the holes 7, 7, in the upper member orbar, springing their lower ends sidewise and entering them into thesockets 4, 4, in the lower members or bar,

and pushing or pulling them as far as they will go into these lowersockets 4, 4, so that the upper ends descend below the tops of the uppersockets 6, 6, aligned with the lower sockets 4, Thereupon the effort ofthe rods. to resume their natural straight extent springs their upperends laterally into the upper sockets 6, 6, and they are locked inplace. For added security, if desired, the axes of thc adjoining holes 6and 7 may be spaced apart far enough to increase the prominences markeda at the lines of juncture, shown in Fig. 2 in the case of thehorizontal sockets and holes aforesaid in upper bar 5. Then the rod mustbe pressed home laterally by hand, but will snap securely into place.

The rods can be removed instantly by the hands alone, by a process ofremoval which is the reversel f the applying process, and which will beevident.

The top of the crate is formed of horizontal rods which are applied andsecured in place in connection with the front and rear frame-members 5,5, by the same means as the vertical rods are applied and secured inplace in connection with the frame-members and 5, and likewise areremoved in the same manner as the said vertical rods. In l? 2,theend-sockets in the upper framemember 5 are marked G5, 65, and thetlnough-holes are marked 75, 75. In order to weaken the front and rearupper framemcmbers 5, 5, as little as lpossible by the formation of thetwo series of sockets and through-holes therein, the horizontal socketsand rods for the top rods are located in alternation with the verticalsockets and through-holes -for the vertical rods. In addition, insteadof forming all the horizontal through-holes in the same framemem'bcr Iprefer to form them in an alterhating sequence in the two frame-members5, 5; that is to say, every other horizontal through-hole in one of thesaid framemembers and the alternate ones in the other of saidframe-members. This will be apparent from Fig. 2. Thus, every otherhorizontal rod is inserted and removed at the front of the crate; thealternate ones are inserted and removed at the back of the crate.

Intermediate reinforcing frame-members 9, 9, at the top of the crate areformed with through-holes l0, l0, through which the horizontal rodspass.

Because of the ease and celerity with which the rods may be applied andremoved, and the security with which they are held, I purpose to obtainaccess to the inside of the crate by partially withdrawing as many ofthe rods forming` the top, or one of the sides if need be, as may benecessary to create an opening of adequate size. This feature is ofvalue to expedite the handling of poultry and the like. It may be notedthat when an opening is thusmade at any desired point `infone ofthesides,y poultry and thelike can betake "themselves out of the crateunaided, yinstead ofl h-avingeach to 'be grasped andlifted out of thecenter opening usually provided im the. top of prior crates.

To provide for an yintermediately located or center opening in the top,I propose to substitute in one of the intermediate framemembers 9sockets at opposite sides thereof instead of certain of thethrough-holeslO, 10, (or by converting the same numberv of saidthrough-holes into pairs of sockets at opposite sides of` suchintermediate member by means of a nail a or the like passingtransversely across each of the said holes 10, 10). I employ a pluralityof short rods 13, 13, at one side of the said intermediate frame-member,engaging' in this instance with the latter and with the front topframemember 5, and also a plurality of other rods 11, 11, ofintermediate length occupying the through-holes in the otherintermediate frame-member and engaged at their ends with the rear topframe-member 5 and with the first intermediate frame-member. To obtain acentral opening, the rods 11, 11, are disengaged from the sockets in therear upper frame-member 5 and partly withdrawn, as illustrated in Fig.1.

As stated above, in cases where exceptional strength is required of thecrate, slats or staves may be used instead of rods, the use and methodof application being the same in principle as that described for therods.

The embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 3 to 5 is one wherein ametalframework made of angle iron, with heavily reinforced andcorrugated metal corners 21, 21, is employed, for use where greaterstrength is requisite. The principles described above for the woodencrate are utilized in this embodiment, the sockets being .provided byforming loops 41, 41, and 61, 61, in strips of metal ribbon 42, 42, 62,62, secured at intervals on the inner surfaces of the angle irons 31,51, of which the side and end bars of the bottom and top frame-membersare composed. The through-holes? 1 and 81 are formed in the respectiveflanges of the angle iron or irons constituting the top framemember ormembers. The floor 1 is held down in place upon the horizontal flange orflanges of the angle iron or irons constituting thelower frame-member ormembers, by the bottom ends of the side rods 12, which rest upon it. Avstructure of-intermediate frame-members 91, 91, is embodiedy in the topof this embodiment, through-holes 101, 101, being made in thoseintermediate framemembers which extend from one end of the crate to theother.

- What is claimed yas 4the invention is,-'-

yA crate or crate-like container comprising oppositelyllocated'frame-.bars inpairs,

and openwork composed ofrods or staves,

alined with those of the first bar, for the other ends, and also havingthrough-holes kdisalined with but intersecting such sockets, wherebythe-rods or staves may be inserted by way of the said through-holes intothe two series of sockets and by reason of the engagement of one set oftheir ends in the sockets of the first series their other ends willspring into the second series of sockets, out of register with thethrough-holes, and the rods or staves will be held from accidentalendwise` displacement.

2. A crate or similar container comprising a frame having upper andlower framebars in pairs, and openwork sides composed of vertical rodsor staves, the lower framebar of each pair having sockets for the lowerends of the vertical rods or staves, and the Lipper frame-bar of thepair having holes extending completely therethrough disalined from thecompanionv holesy in the lower bar through which the vertical rods orstaves may be inserted lengthwise, and also having at its under sideadjacent sockets in line with the sockets in the lower bar, therebyenabling the said vertical rods or staves to be inserted through thesaid throughholes in the upper bar and to occupy positions with theirends in the sockets of the opposite frame-bars.

3. A crate or similar container comprising a framework and a pluralityof rodsor staves each removably supported by two or more membersk ofsaid frame-work, by rodor stave-retaining means consisting of a socketlin connection with one member of such framework for positioning a rodor stave, a hole through another member of said framework offset withrespect tothe said socket, and a second socket, intersected by the saidhole, and in line with said first-named socket, and into which thecorresponding end of the rod orstave springs when pushed CJI a socket inone of such bars for one end of a rod or stave, a 3o-aligned socket inanother of the bars for the other end thereof, an 0H- set through-holein one of said bars in lateral communication with the latter socket, anda through-hole in an intermediate bar, access being had to the interiorof the crate by disengaging the desired number of rods or staves. andwithdrawing them at least through the intermediate bar.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. DANIEL T. GONSIDINE.

Witnesses:

Cms. F. RANDALL, ELLEN O. SPRING.

